𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣 𝔽𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖
Mischief Maker: A Norse Mythology Contemporary Fantasy (Loki Redeemed Book 1) by Bruce Nesmith
Blurb
From the lead designer of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim comes an epic journey of Loki’s redemption. Where does a misunderstood Norse god hide a thousand years after Ragnarok? In the suburbs, of course. Loki is spending his days eking out a living as a stage magician when not one, but two attempts on his life force him to come out of exile.
Loki and his constant companion, Muninn the raven, return to the Nine Realms and Asgard. After he recovers his lost magic, Loki is forced to come to terms with what it means to be a god in modern times. Are the Aesir truly divine, or just people with extraordinary abilities? Loki certainly doesn’t feel very godly.
As he wanders the fabled lands of the elves, dwarves, and giants, Loki finds new friends and old enemies. Behind the attempts on his life is the impending threat of a second Ragnarok. The victors write history, and the surviving gods of Asgard painted Loki as the villain. He now has a shot at redemption, and a chance to stop Thor from committing genocide. Can motorcycles and guns defeat swords and sorcery?
Dive into this fresh take on Norse mythology and join the reluctant hero, Loki, as he takes on Thor to save the Nine Realms.
Mischief Maker could be one of the best stories you read this year. Try it today.
Interview with Bruce Nesmith
1. Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey, please? I had to learn how to write the hard way, on the job. With a degree in Mathematics, writing did not come naturally to me. However, at TSR I was exposed to some of the best editors in the business. They helped me improve my craft, often painfully. I didn’t learn how to write good dialogue until I joined Bethesda Softworks. While TSR wrote almost exclusively narrative, BGS wrote almost exclusively dialogue.
After decades of dreaming about writing a novel, I finally had the tools to do it. I wrote my book in private, on weekends, while still working. With my finished manuscript in hand, I submitted it to an agent in New York. After six months of silence, I asked if they were ever going to get back to me. I promptly got a rejection letter with no advice on how to improve myself.
I turned to my many friends from my long years in the games industry, many of whom had become authors. Jean Rabe, author of the Piper Blackwell mysteries, put me in contact with Craig Martelle. He graciously agreed to publish my books and introduced me to the world of independent publishers. I’ll be eternally grateful.
2. How do you decide who to dedicate your books to? My books are dedicated to my family, especially my wife. She patiently allowed me to follow this silly dream and take up way too much of my time that would otherwise be spent with her.
3. What was the inspiration behind your latest release? I’ve always been fascinated with Norse mythology and researched it deeply for these books. My most recent book is the third in the Loki Reemed trilogy, Ymir’s Return, which will be available in March of 2023. Throughout the series, I’ve created my own version of the Nine Realms and how it could co-exist with the science-based world we live in. Ymir’s Return dives into the world creation myth of the Vikings and what would happen if the fabled ice giant Ymir were to return.
4. Do you find it hard to let your characters go when you finish writing the book? Since this is the last book in the trilogy, at least for now, I found it very difficult. I’ve grown quite fond of my version of Loki, the Norse gods, and his friends among the humans and giants of the Nine Realms. Maybe after writing a few other books I’ll revisit him. I like to leave a few things unfinished when I write. I think it piques the reader’s interest and is more like real life. So there are hooks I can work with, in the stories.
5. What was your favourite read of 2022? I’m hoping you meant 2022. I really enjoyed Upgrade by Blake Crouch. I feels like a superhero fantasy, but quickly turns into a science thriller, and the final twist leaves you thinking about morality and what it means to be human. Great read.
6. Who is your favourite author? I’m only allowed to pick one? Sheesh. I’ve very partial to Adrian Tchaikovsky right now. He’s very imaginative and writes in both fantasy and science fiction. His ideas challenge me, which isn’t always the case in imaginative fiction. I also love Seanan McGuire, Roger Zelazny, Iain Banks, Holly Black, Terry Pratchett (who doesn’t) and Alastair Reynolds.
7. Was there a point in your life that a book helped you get through, and which one? When I was younger, read late teens, I struggled with making friends and feeling like the society I lived in valued me. Nothing particularly, dire, just typical teen stuff, but like all teens, at the time it felt big. Jonathan Livingston Seagull helped me to realize that my own view of myself was more important than others’ views. It’s a super short read, a bit obvious for more mature readers, but as a kid, it opened my eyes.
8. Is there anyone that you would like to mention and thank for their support of your writing? Other than my wife, to whom I dedicated my first book, I’d like to call out my D&D gaming group. Ferret, Matt, Jess, Jim, and Will played through an RPG campaign that features Norse themes that I incorporated into the books. During the pandemic, being able to play with them helped keep me sane and motivated. They were an amazing bunch and we had a blast over the years of that campaign.
9. If you had the power to give everyone in the world one book, what would it be and why? Tough question. Each person has different needs and would ideally need a different book. Right now, it feels like 1984 by George Orwell would do the most people the best.
10. What are you working on now? I have some ideas for science fiction books that I’d like to pursue. I intend to keep writing for many years to come, so you aren’t getting rid of me that easily. I love world-building and I’m excited to build new worlds and write stories for them.
11. Lastly, do you have any questions for your readers? What do you wish authors were writing or writing about? What are the tropes you hate and the tropes you love?
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